The Wild Stallion Sequel
by LexusGrey
Summary: Well, almost everyone that reviewed asked for a sequel, so here it is!


The Wild Stallion - sequel

Catherine woke up before Sara, and spent a good ten minutes just watching her sleep. It was well into the afternoon, and she had to get back and start getting ready for this evening's business - washing up some things and making sure all the girls had done their chores. With a wry smile, she got to her feet, careful not to wake Sara, and dressed in her pants, boots, and torn blouse. At least she could hold the front closed until she got to her room for a new blouse. Her knickers were a lost cause, though, and she grinned at the sleeping Sara, silently draping the ruined garment across her midsection.

With one last, lingering glance, Cat made her way to the edge of the lake where Paizy was grazing and drinking, and climbed onto the mare, heading back into town. Hopefully no one would notice her until she'd visited her room and washed up... she had no idea what she looked like right now, but she imagined she looked a mess.

No such luck going unnoticed. As soon as she finished letting Paizy into the pasture and stepped out of the barn, a whole group of folks spotted her and waved her over into their little circle. She tried to decline with a shake of her head, when the town doctor started limping her way.

"Catherine, your neck," he said, his eyes wide and full of concern.

Oh, great. "That's not the worst of it," Cat snorted with a roll of her eyes.

He noticed her holding her shirt together, and his eyes went wider. "Were you attacked? Let me have a look at--"

"No, no," Catherine said quickly, her own eyes widening when she realized what he was thinking. "I wasn't attacked, Al." The rest of the group had wandered over and started trying to fuss over her, so she repeated herself. "I wasn't attacked! Can't a woman have some good sex around here anymore without everyone making a fuss?"

Most of them had the good grace to blush and back off, but she saw the knowing smirk on Sofia's face, and knew she'd never hear the end of it. "I'll walk you back to the Stallion," Sofia offered, trying to smother her smirk without success. "Good afternoon, gentlemen, ladies," she said, giving a little nod of her head to the group, and then slipped an arm into Catherine's and started walking with her. She waited until they were away from prying ears and then pounced on the subject without hesitation. "Sara did this?"

"That she did," Catherine answered. She wasn't going to say anything more on the matter. "She is a firecracker..." Shut up, Catherine... "She tore off my knickers." Oh for fuck's sake.

"And your blouse, by the look of it," Sofia added, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

They reached the Stallion and slipped inside, making their way upstairs. "Yeah, and my blouse," Catherine acknowledged. "Want to help me get a bath? Lord knows I need one after that, and to be honest I'm not sure how well I can move around."

"You looked alright back there," Sofia said with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you really think I'm gonna show them more than I have to? Hell, I don't even want to show you, but it's either that or struggle through it on my own and be late getting things ready around here."

Sofia couldn't help snickering at that, and gave in with a nod. "Of course I'll help you, don't be silly." She followed Catherine into her room and set about preparing a bath for her boss. Halfway through filling the tub, she glanced at Catherine and dropped the bucket of water onto the floor at the sight of all the marks covering her body. Luckily it landed upright and only a bit sloshed over the sides, and she turned away, her jaw dropping, then closing, then dropping again. Damn. She knew Sara was feisty, but that was just... whoo! Finally having herself under control, she picked up the bucket and resumed the task of filling the bathtub, very aware of Catherine's curious eyes on her. "You're okay with that, then?" she asked, nodding toward the wounds.

"Oh yeah," Catherine smirked, fumbling with her hair attachments until they came loose and her hair fell free. She climbed into the bath when Sofia had it full enough, and sighed as the slightly warm water enveloped her body. It felt good, it soothed her skin. She was sore between her legs and the water didn't help that, but she wasn't complaining.

Sofia's eyes raked the bite marks covering Catherine's body, and settled on the one at her hip. "Catherine, you'd better let the doctor have a look at that one, you're liable to get an infection. What was she thinking?"

"You know your way around the doctor's office, don't you Sofi?"

"Oh now I'm Sofi?" Sofia scoffed, grabbing a cloth and dunking it under the water, then lathering it up with soap and starting to very carefully wash Catherine's back, though she noted there were no bruises there. "Sugar knows her way around the doctor's office just as well or better than I do. I think you oughta have her clean it up."

Catherine sighed. "Why are you really upset? I know it's not the bite marks."

"It is the bite marks, Catherine," Sofia said with a frown. "You get an infection there and you--" she stopped and shook her head. "I don't like seeing you hurt."

"Hey," Catherine said, turning around to look at her long-time friend. "She didn't do anything I didn't want."

Sofia looked uncertain for a second, seeming to chew that statement over in her mind, and then her entire demeanor softened and she leant forward, kissing the top of Catherine's head. "You promise?"

"I promise. And I love you for worrying over me, but you don't need to."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure." A pause, then, "it was incredible."

"Spare me the details... I'll go get some supplies from Al, if you can manage to wash your own hair while I'm gone?"

Catherine grinned, her heart melting a little at the way Sofia was trying to protect her. She didn't think she was a woman that needed protecting, but Sofia's attitude said a lot about their friendship, in a way that wasn't normally acknowledged. "Thanks, honey." She turned her head to kiss Sofia's cheek, and as the other woman left, she called out, "if you run across Sara, would you tell her she's not working tonight, and that she's to put on that purple dress she wore last night and wait for me in her bedroom?"

"Sure thing, boss," Sofia said with a nod, then slipped out the door and headed out of the saloon.

--

Sara had no idea what to think. She'd woken up alone, which she'd mostly expected, but found Catherine's knickers draped across her stomach, which she hadn't expected at all. Well, how could she have expected that? It's not like there was a fifty-fifty chance of waking up with someone's knickers on your stomach. Or any body part, actually. And now she was rambling on a tangent in her head. The point was, she didn't know where she stood with Catherine, and she was afraid to find out. She had just put Romeo out in the pasture and was dragging her feet as she walked toward the Stallion, when she saw Sofia headed her way. Before she could open her mouth, though, Sofia was already talking.

"Ms. Catherine asked me to tell you that you're not working tonight, and she'd like you to put on the purple dress you wore last night, and wait for her in your bedroom."

Well, that answered her question... actually, no, it didn't. That could mean anything. Hell, it could mean she was fired. "Okay," she said nervously, shifting her gaze toward the saloon and then back to Sofia, who was looking at her in a way she didn't like. "What?"

"If you hurt Catherine, I'll kill you."

"What?" Sara asked, shocked and slightly offended. "I think you've got it backwards. I'm the one head over heels for her, you should be worried she's gonna hurt me."

"You're not the one covered in welts and bruises from her teeth," Sofia said with a raised brow.

Sara wanted to be angry, but Sofia's words sent the wind right out of her sails, and despite her resolve, tears stung her wide brown eyes. "She-- she's upset about those?" she asked, suddenly terrified that she had read Catherine all wrong last night.

"No," Sofia said quickly, seeing Sara's vulnerability and realizing what the brunette thought was going on. "She's not. I am. And the doctor wasn't too pleased about them either."

"She had to go to the doctor?" Sara asked, her voice a tiny squeak. She was going to pass out.

"No," Sofia said again. Well, she was sure doing a very poor job of communicating with Sara here. She kissed Sara's forehead and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sugar. She's fine. She's actually very happy. I'm just worried about that mark on her hip. What were you thinking, breaking her skin?"

"I'm-- I didn't mean to," Sara choked out. "I didn't know I did." She was at a loss for words, the only comforting thought being that Sofia had just said Catherine was very happy. And... if Catherine regretted being with her, she wouldn't have told Sofia they'd been together, would she? Last night Sara thought she could deal with it if Catherine never wanted to be intimate with her again. Now she felt like a lost child.

"Go on and get ready for her, Sugar," Sofia urged when Sara just kept standing there staring.

--

Sara was on her way to her room to get changed, but when she passed Catherine's room she stopped. Her stomach was trying to twist its way out of her body, but she had to know where she stood. Knocking quietly, she opened the door a fraction and poked her head through, to see Catherine in the bath.

Catherine had just rinsed the soap out of her hair when someone knocked, and then Sara appeared in the doorway. She was about to tell her to go get dressed like she was supposed to, but the look on the girl's face gave her pause, and she said instead, "come in, Sugar, what's wrong?"

Sara took a breath, her knees wavering at hearing Catherine call her 'Sugar' again, and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. "You uh... you were gone when I woke up."

Cat smiled and nodded, waving Sara over to a chair beside the tub. "You were sleeping, you looked so cute, I didn't want to wake you, and I had to get back here to get ready."

"I thought..." She trailed off and Catherine finished for her.

"You thought I was gonna let you touch me last night and pretend it was a mistake in the light of day, didn't you?"

"I didn't know."

"Why do you look like you still don't know?" Catherine asked, tilting her head to the side. She wanted to take Sara in her arms, but she would get her all wet and ruin her leather pants.

"I don't-- I don't know. Sofia scolded me, I--"

Catherine's eyes flashed and she sat up straighter in the bathtub. "Sofia did what?" she asked. "My instructions to her if she saw you were to simply tell you you didn't have to work tonight, and to put on that purple dress and wait for me in your bedroom."

"She did tell me that," Sara said quickly. "She did."

"What the hell did she say to you that's got you so spooked?" Catherine asked. "Take your clothes off and get in here with me."

The more Catherine talked, the more Sara's confidence returned. "You want me naked, in the bath, with you?" she asked, though she was already unbuttoning her blouse.

"Yes," Catherine purred, her eyes riveted on the progression of Sara's buttons coming undone. "And I want your hands and mouth all over me. Looking at you and just thinking about what you did to me last night is making me wet..."

Sara took her boots and pants off much faster than she had her blouse, and climbed into the warm water with Catherine. "You liked me being rough with you?" she asked, feeling her world settle back down around her.

"You couldn't tell?" Catherine groaned, giving Sara a bit of an incredulous look. "The screaming and moaning and coming all over your hand wasn't enough of an indication? It was the best I've ever been fucked," she finally finished in a heated whisper, watching Sara's eyes turn a darker shade of brown.

"You don't mind the bite marks? Sofia said she's worried about them," Sara said, turning around so she rested with her back against Catherine's front.

"I love the bite marks," Catherine assured her. Sofia was in trouble. A lot of fucking trouble. She put her arms around Sara and squeezed, just as the door opened and Sofia stepped inside with some medical supplies.

Sofia knew she was in for it as soon as she saw the look on Ms. Catherine's face. Actually she'd pretty much known she was in for it as soon as she'd run her mouth to Sara, but she couldn't help it. Catherine had been like a guardian to her for so many years now... she couldn't help being protective of her. She had gotten into trouble daily when she first came to the saloon - in fact, she'd barely been able to sit for meals for a good month before she settled down. Now, though, it had been years since she'd even come close to any trouble. Her cheeks flushed pink as she thought about the prospect of being punished as she had been when she was younger, and she moved further into the room, hoping she was misreading Ms. Catherine's look. She set the supplies on a table near the tub and folded her hands in front of her. "I'll just leave those for Sugar to fix you up and go get the rest of the girls read--"

"Sofia," Catherine interrupted her, watching the woman's blush darken. "I think you already know what I'm going to say."

Sofia froze in her back-stepping retreat, blowing out a slow breath through puffed cheeks before responding. "Yes, Ma'am. I'll be in my room until tomorrow morning."

"No, oh Ms. Catherine, no," Sara protested when she realized what was going on, her eyes widening as she glanced from Sofia to Catherine.

"Sara," Catherine warned. "Don't argue with me."

Sara frowned, her feistiness returning in waves. "You'd hate it if I stopped arguing with you. Don't punish her because of me."

"You didn't get her in trouble, she got herself into it," Catherine volleyed, throwing a glance to Sofia. "Didn't you?"

Sofia flushed, backing toward the door. "Yes Ma'am, I did," she agreed. She didn't blame Sara, not in the least, and she thought the younger girl precious for trying to defend her. Not wanting any further arguing on her account, she quickly slipped out of the room and went to her own.

Sara turned around so she was straddling Catherine's thighs, and stared into her blazing blue eyes. "If you punish her, I won't put out anymore."

Catherine threw her head back and laughed, then slowly dragged one finger down the front of Sara's body, stopping to dip into her belly button and play idly there. "I guess I'll have to deal with that."

Sara hated being called out, and she growled, shoving Catherine's hand away and making a petulant face at her. "Bitch."

"You watch your mouth or you'll end up next to her," Catherine said, pointing at Sara, and then to the supplies Sofia had left. "Can you manage to fix up my hip with what she brought?"

"Why do you think it's okay for you to beat your whores, anyway?"

"Sara, do not push me. Can you fix the wound or should I call in the doctor?"

"I can fix it," Sara said, clearly angry with her. "But maybe we should let it be. An infection fever might burn some sense into your head."

Before she could blink, Sara felt the swift discipline to her face, her cheek stinging like she'd rarely felt before. Catherine had slapped her. She sucked in a deep breath, tears welling up and spilling over without her permission as she quickly got out of the bath and left Catherine's room, not caring that she made the journey to her bedroom dripping wet and naked.

Slamming the door behind her, Sara climbed into bed and cried. She'd just ruined any chance she might have had with Ms. Catherine. She was probably going to be fired and asked to leave town. Well, she might as well get a head start on packing. Later, though, when her vision wasn't blurred with tears. Why did the blonde have such an effect on her that she was regretting walking out after being slapped? Of course she was going to walk out. She shouldn't let anyone treat her like that. But now she wished she'd done anything other than leave. Hit her back, yell at her, something. Anything. Anything that wouldn't have ended her up without Catherine. She wasn't going to take that kind of shit no matter how in love she was, but she could have defended herself instead of walking away.

The more she thought about it the angrier she got. How dare Catherine hit her? She got out of bed and wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath pulling on some clothes before heading out of her room, back down the hall, stopping outside of Cat's door. If she was going to be run out of town, she'd damn well get her own hit in first. Just because she was the boss didn't give Catherine the right to slap her girls. The spankings were a separate matter - Sara didn't agree with them either, but it was different.

Pushing open the door without knocking, Sara surveyed the room before stepping in. She walked straight to Ms. Catherine, who was still relaxing in the bath, and slapped her squarely across the face, probably twice as hard as she'd been hit herself. "Nobody hits me," she hissed through clenched teeth. "I don't care who the fuck you think you are or how in love with you I am... nobody fucking hits me." And she left.

"You're in love with me?" Catherine whispered to Sara's retreating form, her fingertips feathering over the stinging skin of her cheek. She had deserved that. She was glad Sara came back and did it. She'd regretted it as soon as she'd slapped the younger woman, but once something like that was done, you couldn't take it back. She was relieved at Sara's actions - some of the guilt left her now. Though really, she didn't deserve to have her conscience go easy on her. What the hell had she been thinking? How could she have possibly thought it would be okay to treat Sara like that?

Tears formed in Catherine's eyes for the first time in a very long time, and she gingerly rose from the bathtub, slipping into something comfortable to wear, leaving the wound on her hip for now. She had more important things to worry about, like not losing Sara. She'd probably already lost her. If she were Sara, she probably wouldn't want anything more to do with herself. But she had to at least try.

Sara was packing her things when her door opened, and she snapped her head around at the intrusion, eyes narrowing when she saw Catherine. "I'll be out of your hair by sundown," she growled, doing her best not to let her heartbreak show through her voice.

Catherine gasped, taking in the scene before her. "You're leaving?" she asked, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. The walls were closing in. She had never felt such an acute sense of loss in all her life. She had never thought that Sara filled her heart, but now it felt empty.

"You're surprised? You think I was going to just wait around to be kicked out? I'll save you the trouble." She failed to notice the catch in Catherine's breath or the panic in her eyes.

"Kicked out?" Catherine couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No, Sara..."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Sara said bitterly, an acidic laugh passing her lips, no humor lacing the sound. "What would you prefer? Fired? Tossed on my ass? Run out of town? Is there an official term for it? Kicked out is beneath you?"

Tears streamed down Catherine's face now, her voice breaking. "I don't want you to go."

Sara heard it now, heard the panic, the regret, the sincerity. She spun around to face Catherine, her own breath catching in her throat at the tears she saw. "What?" she asked sharply. "Did you want me to do the wash before I leave?"

"No!" Catherine cried, her face twisted up in an effort to control her emotions. She calmed down before she next spoke, but the words still came out shaky. "I don't understand why you think I want you to leave... I'm the one that did something wrong... Please, don't go... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Sara froze, realizing in that instant that Catherine really wasn't here to throw her out. The begging for her to stay was genuine, and it took her breath away. Catherine had come to her room intending to apologize. Suddenly she was at a loss for words, and she dropped the knickers she was holding, and just stared at the crying blonde, her jaw slowly dropping as the implication of Catherine's pleas began to dawn on her. She hadn't messed anything up - Catherine still wanted her. The urge to kiss the gorgeous woman and shake her senseless warred with equal strength inside Sara's head. She decided on a mixture of both, and closed the distance between them with a few quick strides, pushing Catherine up against the wall and breathing hotly against her trembling lips. "You NEVER hit me again, or I will break every bone in your hand," she threatened, and she meant every word.

The wind knocked out of her from the sudden force, Catherine could only nod. Wild, electric blue eyes stared into deep swirling brown, waiting for Sara's next move. She would never admit it, but she was content to let the girl take the lead. She always had to be in control, always making sure things got done right and on time, always had to be the perfect picture of order, and it felt incredible to have Sara come along and sweep her right off her feet, throwing rules and restrictions out the window.

"I don't want you to punish Sofia."

"I know you don't," Catherine said quietly, still not fully breathing right. "But it's not your decision to make. Sofia knows what she did was wrong, otherwise she would have argued with me herself."

"I still don't want you to punish her."

"I know," Catherine said again. "I'm willing to risk a lot to be with you, Sara. Risk a lot and let you call a lot of shots. But you're not going to tell me how to run my business and keep my girls in line, yourself included. It's not personal, it's business, and if you fall out of line, I'll be punishing you as your boss, not your lover. If we're going to give this a shot, you have to understand and accept that boundary."

Sara took a deep breath and thought hard about that before she answered. She wanted to argue, but Catherine was right. It was a concession she was going to have to make. "Okay," she finally whispered. "But in our personal life, there is no line for me to fall out of... you'll be the one toeing it, and if you fall out..."

Catherine bit her lip and nodded. "Then you take me in hand and punish me like the naughty girl I am," she said breathlessly.

Sara's eyes tried to close, but she forced them to stay open, passion searing through her as she looked at Catherine. She took a slow breath in through her nose and let it out even slower, nodding her head and placing her lips next to Catherine's ear. "Yes," she agreed throatily. "You are naughty and you should be punished..."

"Already?" Catherine asked, intending to sound like she was whining, but the word came out as an excited gasp instead.

"It makes you even naughtier that you're looking forward to it," Sara purred, nibbling Catherine's earlobe.

"I'm not," Catherine tried to convince herself, and Sara.

"And now you're lying," Sara growled, pulling away with a dangerous look on her face. "Take your clothes off and get on my bed, little girl."

Catherine didn't miss the fact that Sara was using her own scolding term against her. Being called little girl made her feel... well, naughty. Apparently she'd stood there too long because Sara yelled at her.

"Now!"

Cat jumped in surprise and stripped out of her clothes, hurrying naked over to the bed and sitting on the edge of it. She was very curious to see what Sara planned to do to her.

"Did I tell you to sit on the edge of the bed, or did I tell you to get on the bed?" Sara asked, standing above her looking quite menacing, with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. "Get your fucking ass up onto the bed, Catherine."

Catherine's jaw dropped and she picked her feet up from the floor, scooting backwards into the middle of the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Now. I'll start by listing off offenses, and you say 'yes Ma'am' or 'no Ma'am' depending on whether you've committed them," Sara said as she started a slow walk around the edge of the bed, ticking off things on her fingers one by one and waiting for Catherine's answers in between. "You teased me to my breaking point last night."

"Yes Ma'am."

"You left the glen before I woke up this afternoon."

"Yes Ma'am."

"You set your ruined knickers on top of me for anyone to see."

"No one was going t--"

"Yes or no?" Sara snapped sharply.

Catherine went sheepish and rested her chin on her knees. "Yes Ma'am."

"Thank you. Don't take liberties with your speech again," the brunette said pointedly, never stopping her slow walk around the bed, in front of, to the side, and behind Catherine, then back again the other direction. "This last one is the worst offense of them all," she then prefaced, finally stopping in front of Catherine and placing her hands flat on the bed, leaning forward so her face was inches from the blonde's. "You slapped me."

"Yes Ma'am," Catherine said quickly, not wanting to have to admit to that but having no other option.

"So it's safe to say that you've been very naughty?"

Catherine nodded, and one of Sara's hands shot up to grip her firmly by the chin.

"Answer me, little girl..."

"Yes Ma'am!" Catherine gasped. "Very naughty..."

Sara kept hold of her chin, staring straight into her eyes as she asked, "what do you think I should do with you?"

"Oh fuck, I have no idea," Catherine breathed, her chest rising and falling rapidly just from the look in Sara's eyes.

"It's a good thing I'm creative then, isn't it?" Sara said in a low voice, straightening up and releasing Catherine's chin, then moving to her closet and looking around for a minute before coming up with two clothespins from the wash pile and her very fancy riding crop. She rarely used it to ride, but it would come in handy now.

When Sara reappeared with clothespins and a riding crop, Catherine shivered. She could take a guess what the pins were going to be used for, since there were two of them. Her nipples throbbed at the thought of being confined so painfully.

Cat was brought out of her thoughts by a hand on her shoulder, pushing her backwards until she was laying on the bed. Seconds later Sara was straddling her hips, and she only had a brief flash of time to consider the fact that she seemed to always end up naked with Sara fully clothed, before a sharp, intense sensation began in one nipple and radiated outward.

Sara watched Catherine's eyes squeeze shut and her head loll back, heard the mewling cry from her lover, and attached the other clip. She knew it would hurt, but she knew Catherine would like it, and the wetness on her finger when she swiped it once through Catherine's folds was proof enough that she was right.

Cat cried out again as the second clip closed around her other nipple, and she couldn't help arching her back, both trying to relieve some of the pressure and show Sara how good it hurt at the same time. She did like it. She liked it in that forbidden, secretive way that made her blush while it made her wet. The pulse went straight from her nipples to between her legs, and once the clips had been on for a few moments, she started to turn over to let Sara spank her.

"No," Sara commanded, grabbing Catherine's waist and preventing her from turning. "On your back. Spread your legs."

Catherine groaned as she complied, her entire body flushed with embarrassment and heat. She stayed on her back and inched her legs apart, and was rewarded with gentle taps to the insides of her thighs as encouragement to spread them wider. When she failed in her attempt to do so, Sara snapped the leather tip of the crop against one sensitive thigh, and she redoubled her efforts, finally getting herself spread wide enough for Sara's liking.

Sara could see the honey glistening on Catherine's lips, and she tapped the crop lightly against her lover's clit.

Catherine twitched and cried out, then groaned when she realized it hadn't hurt. She rocked her hips into the second stroke. The movement reminded her of the clips on her nipples, and she couldn't remember the last time she had felt so helplessly aroused. Sara was going to need to redefine punishment, because if this was what she got for pissing the brunette off, she'd do it more often. The leather impacting her clit was going to make her come if Sara didn't stop soon.

Sara gently snapped the crop between Catherine's legs a few more times until she recognized the signs of a building orgasm in her lover, and her jaw worked back and forth a few times while she tried to work out what to say. She tossed the riding crop to the floor and climbed onto the bed on her hands and knees above Catherine. She ducked her head so her lips were right beside the blonde's ear, and whispered, "fucking slut."

"What?" Catherine gasped, her blue eyes going wide, entire body tensing. Was Sara just playing with her? Trying to get her worked up so she could humiliate her, and then leave?

"You were enjoying that, weren't you? You were about to come." She held herself up with one hand and reached down with the other, taking the clothespins off one at a time, then watching Catherine's face twist in pain as the blood rushed back to her nipples. She eased the feeling with her palm, rubbing first one, then the other in firm circles.

"Please don't leave," Catherine whispered, tears stinging her eyes as she gazed up at Sara.

"Leave? We already discussed that," Sara said, confused. And then an instant later it dawned on her what Catherine thought and she nipped sweetly at her lover's jawline, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I'm not leaving... I'm tearing into you for enjoying the punishment."

Catherine cried out as Sara pinched a very sensitive nipple, and arched into the touch. "I didn't mean to enjoy it," she panted, then groaned, settling back to the bed.

"I'll have to try harder next time," Sara purred. "For now, though, just to remind you who the hell you're dealing with and what I won't put up with, I'm not fucking you tonight. You can stay wet all night, but I'm not touching you, and you're not touching yourself or letting anyone else touch you either."

"That's not fair," Catherine breathed in a rush, now acutely aware of the throbbing need between her thighs.

Sara's eyes darkened. "What's not fair is that you slapped me," she reasoned. But then a thought hit her and a rakish grin spread over her lips. "On second thought... I'll take back the punishment and make you come if you don't punish Sofia."

Catherine knew she was being completely irresponsible but she nodded immediately, reaching for Sara.

Sara knew it wasn't right to bargain her touch like that, but hell, she was a whore, after all, and at least this time it was for a good cause. She really didn't want Sofia punished, and now she'd get what she wanted and get to fuck Catherine as well. "I don't understand how you can want me so badly when you've brushed me off for so long..." she whispered, one fingertip drawing circles over Catherine's belly.

"I always wanted you, that wasn't the issue," Catherine tried to explain, but Sara's hand between her legs drew all her attention and she stopped talking to focus on the unbelievable sensation of strong, insistent fingers parting her and sliding into her with ease.

"What was the issue?" Sara asked, slowly pulling her fingers out and pushing back in, curling to press against the warmth that surrounded her.

"What? Can I tell you later?" Catherine asked, incredulous that Sara was choosing this moment to ask a pretty important question. But the fingers inside her stilled completely, and she groaned out a pissed off, needy whine. "You're a lot younger than me and I didn't want to hold you back!"

Sara started moving her fingers again, pushing hard into Catherine and stroking her from the inside out. "Does it feel like I'm being held back?" she whispered on a particularly forceful and possessive thrust.

Catherine cried out, shaking her head in answer. "No! I was just scared! Everyone I care about leaves me!"

"Not me," Sara said fiercely, kissing Catherine, swallowing her cries as she kept three fingers buried inside her, using her thumb to stimulate her lover's swollen clit.

Catherine clung to Sara like shelter in a storm, a wave of relief washing over her, followed by a wave of pleasure as she tightened on Sara's fingers. She'd voiced her fear, and Sara was still there, still touching her, still wanting her just as much as ever. "I thought you just wanted to fuck me," she admitted as her body stopped shaking and settled back into the mattress. "I didn't realize your feelings were any deeper than that until last night."

"So that's what changed," Sara murmured, nuzzling Catherine's nose with her own and planting soft kisses on her lips. "You should've asked me a long time ago. I would'a told you I fell for you at first sight."

"I don't think I would have believed you," Catherine mumbled, pulling in a slow, deep breath, returning Sara's kisses with what little energy she had left.

Sara slowly withdrew her fingers and brought them to Catherine's lips. "Open..."

Cat slid her mouth open to take in Sara's fingers and lazily cleaned them, her eyelids heavy and struggling to stay open.

"Hey, stay awake," Sara said softly, stroking the damp, sweaty hair back from Catherine's forehead. "I'm going to go get Sofia and have her fix up that bite on your hip, and you're going to tell her you're sorry for overreacting earlier."

"I can't be apologizing every time someone earns a punishment," Catherine said, waking up a bit at Sara's words. "How would that look?"

Sara frowned. "You'll have more respect if you can admit when you're wrong... people don't see that as a weakness, Catherine. And you did overreact. Sofia didn't earn a punishment... she was being protective of you because she cares about you. You should appreciate that."

Catherine blew a puff of air toward the roof and nodded. "You're right. I'll talk to her."

"And an actual apology is necessary," Sara said knowingly, giving Catherine a look.

"Or what?"

"Or I won't touch you for a week."

Catherine groaned. "You're playing dirty."

--

"Hey," Catherine said quietly once she was alone with Sofia.

"Hey yourself," Sofia said, avoiding Catherine's eyes as she set about organizing the medical supplies. Gauze here, disinfectant here, tape here, salve here, just get it done and go back to your bedroom.

"Did Sara tell you I'm not going to punish you?"

Sofia nodded, still avoiding Catherine's eyes as she poured some disinfectant onto a cloth. "This'll sting," she warned, before starting to gently dab the wound.

Cat hissed in a breath through clenched teeth - it did indeed sting. But it was better than an infection, so she put up with it without complaining. "Did she tell you I was sorry?"

"No," Sofia said, applying another round of disinfectant just to be safe, and then spreading salve over Sara's dental impression.

"Oh. Well, I am. Sorry. I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"Is Sara threatening to withhold sex unless you say that?"

"Yes," Catherine admitted as Sofia put gauze over the wound and taped it up. "But... it's true, too. She's right. I should be grateful that you care about me enough to try to protect me like that. And I am grateful, Sofi, I just didn't take the time to really think about what your actions meant."

Sofia's voice was below a whisper as she responded to that. "You know, the more times someone has to apologize, the less it means each time."

"I really hurt you, didn't I?" Catherine asked, tears stinging her eyes for the second time that day.

"I accept and appreciate your apology, this time," Sofia said, sitting on the bed beside Catherine. "I just... it's twice in two days now that you've had cause to say you're sorry to me, and I'm just afraid it'll become a habit."

"It won't," Catherine promised. "I'll try my damndest to think before I open my mouth." She paused, then smiled and reached for one of Sofia's hands as she continued. "You mean a lot to me, and I know I don't say it often enough. I don't know what I'd ever do without your friendship..."

Now Sofia smiled, and she leaned down to kiss Catherine's forehead. "You've never said it, actually, but it's good to hear, because I feel the same about you."

"I've never said it..." Catherine repeated, obviously thinking about that, and then she sat up, putting her arms around Sofia's neck and pulling her close. "I'll work on that." She pressed a long, lingering kiss to Sofia's cheek, before releasing her and laying back down.

Sofia blushed at the kiss, and then smirked to cover herself. "I'm afraid to ask what she did to your nipples. I don't remember them being so... swollen."

Maybe on another day Catherine would have blushed right back, but not today. She grinned proudly and covered her breasts with her hands. "She 'punished' me... but shh, don't tell anyone," she stage-whispered.

"I knew she'd be good for you," Sofia laughed. "You should always listen to me."

"Yeah, maybe. Now go on and get ready... you're in charge tonight, I'm takin' the night off."

"It's unprecedented," Sofia said, pretending to be shocked.

Cat waved dismissively, but snickered anyway as Sofia left the room and sent Sara back in. "You didn't have to leave the room, you know..."

Sara shrugged, making her way over to sit on the bed and trace circles around the bandage on Catherine's hip. "I wanted to give you privacy to work things out. She was pretty upset. Everything's okay now?"

"I think so, yeah," Catherine nodded. After a minute of comfortable silence, she said, "thanks, Sara."

Sara looked up from Cat's hip with a curious expression. "For what?"

"For calling me out when I'm being a bitch. I know it's a strange thing to thank you for, but I mean it. Don't ever start putting up with my bullshit, okay? The fact that you don't is one of the many things I really like about you."

Sara flashed an adorable grin, pushing back the sheets and squirming under them with her lover, then covering them both and purring at the warmth of being in bed with Catherine. "You got it," she promised.

"Mmm, good," Catherine murmured, rolling onto her side to nuzzle Sara's neck, throwing one leg over the brunette's stomach and an arm over her chest. Now that she had no more pressing issues to deal with, exhaustion settled in and she let it wash over her, her eyes drifting closed and her breathing evening out into sleep.

Sara wasn't tired at all, but listening to Catherine breathe and feeling the beat of her lover's heart against her chest lulled her into a light sleep anyway, content that she finally had the woman she'd loved for so long.


End file.
